


Standard Operating Procedure

by kuwdora



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-12
Updated: 2011-01-12
Packaged: 2017-10-14 17:05:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/151527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuwdora/pseuds/kuwdora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>He flicked the safety off, resolving not to fire. He strained to see what he could with the small flashlight and ambient streetlight. Relief flooded his system when he saw the human outline of Henry huddled on the ground, leaning against the dank brick. On closer inspection, Henry was half-naked, Barbaro face down at his feet, dead. He didn’t know how long he stood there staring, but it was the sound of Henry’s whisper that made him close the gap without hesitation.</i></p><p><i>“Henry,” Will said, his voice cracking. He’d seen monsters kill, eviscerate and even procreate in front of him before. He’d witnessed incredible and dangerous creatures form-shift into a new stage of metamorphosis with his own eyes, but this was</i> Henry<i>, the guy who saved all their asses numerous times and went to Comic Con with the Big Guy, who enjoyed surfing and taking apart network servers for </i>fun.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Standard Operating Procedure

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place early season 2, before 206 Fragments. There's an emphasis on the events of 105 The Five with spoilers for 110 Warriors and 112-113 Revelations 1 & 2\. Major thanks to for the spectacular beta and handholding.

The overhead streetlights bathed the parking lot of the Carlisle, a defunct movie theater on the outskirts of Old City, in a grungy yellow that reminded Will of dried parchment. It was their secluded rendezvous point, but their current informant, Devon Barbaro, was giving them the run-around.

Will unfolded his arms and tried to keep his mouth shut. He looked at Henry who was equally impatient, his bag of gear sitting at his feet. Kate was on point, giving Barbaro an earful to convince him to spill his guts but he was still wary. She was new to their dynamic, mostly untested in the field with them, but it was her interesting, if questionable methodology that had gotten them this far into the seedy underbelly of Volition Industries and their abnormal tracking ring.

“This isn’t going to work out,” Barbaro said for the third time. He was a forty-something company man, assistant to the VP of Acquisitions who’d been with Volition for almost a decade. It didn’t take much prodding for his conscience to speak up when Kate had originally approached him last month.

Will unzipped his hooded sweatshirt, unaccustomed to the lack of breeze this far from the bay, and shoved his hands into his pockets. There weren’t that many reasons that Barbaro would have changed his mind. The most likely culprit was threats from Volition—not against his family, because he was widowed and without children, but Will could understand Barbaro backing out if they were threatening his life.

“C’mon, Bar. Stop stonewalling us,” Kate said. She was loose-limbed but the tone of her voice indicated that she was on guard. She was as surprised as the rest of them on his change of heart. Will had seen Kate lose her patience in less time and if Barbaro intended on ratting them out to his bosses, they could—well, not _kiss_ those abnormals goodbye—but they would lose their shot to save two dozen of them.

“I can’t help. I told you, they moved them. I don’t know where,” Barbaro said, with enough anxiety to trip an alarm in the back of Will’s head. He shifted his elbow to make it easier to reach for the weapon.

“That’s not what you said last time,” Will insisted. “You said there were two locations: a penthouse in New City and a place in the country.”

“That’s what I’m saying this time. Things have changed,” Barbaro said. He threw up his hands and skirted backwards. “I’m sorry.”

Kate rolled her shoulders and scoffed. “What, are you afraid if you help us, you won’t get free samples anymore?”

“I’m already in too deep,” Barbaro said, his fear ratcheting up. “Everything’s a mess, I can’t even go back. I need to leave before his men find me.” The stutter wasn’t hard to miss.

“Hey, let’s just chill out,” Henry said. “We can protect you. Come back to the Sanctuary with us.”

“Bar, you are _not_ going to walk away without giving us an address,” Kate said and took a step toward him. Barbaro’s shoulders tightened, jaw set in determination.

“Everyone stop!” Will shouted, but Barbaro suddenly grabbed Kate by the elbow and wrist and twisted her until she buckled to her knees. She cried out, but it was in surprise, not pain. There was a sickening crunch of bone and Barbaro’s fingers became elongated, possibly a vampire, but there was no flash of teeth. Barbaro pressed the sharpened nails to her neck and pulled Kate backwards. Will kept his gun leveled on them, though he wasn’t confident of his aim and speed, not while Kate was held like that.

“Bad idea,” Kate muttered, she clutched Barbaro’s arm and made herself as much dead weight as possible to slow him down. Barbaro dug his nails into her skin and she called him a few choice names before she rose back to her feet.

“Let her go, _now_ ,” Will said and took a step to his left. Barbaro’s eyes followed him, lips curling into a frown. He didn’t hold himself like a desperate, fearful man any longer.

“Okay, let’s all calm down,” Henry said, raising his voice. In Will’s peripheral, Henry’s gun was leveled at Barbaro.

“You calm down,” Barbaro warned and dug his thumb into Kate’s collarbone, eliciting a yelp and another string of curse words. “Don’t step any closer.”

Blood pounded in his ears and Will took a deep breath. “We can all walk away from this. Let her go and we’ll leave you alone if that’s what you really want. Or you can find refuge at the Sanctuary. Either way, it’s _your_ call. No one needs to get hurt.”

“Did they find out you were talking to us? We can make sure they never hurt you,” Will continued and Kate took that moment to headbutt Barbaro but he sliced her neck and she fell. Will fired the second Kate was clear and Barbaro— _dammit_ —had speed that wasn’t normal and disappeared down the alley before Kate even hit the ground. Why the hell did they have gaps in their knowledge about this guy?

“Kate!” Henry yelled.

Will rushed to Kate’s side, dialing the paramedics first, Magnus second. They were far enough from the Sanctuary that the EMTs would arrive first.

Will stripped his sweatshirt off and pressed it to Kate’s wound. Behind him, Henry yelled again, except it was a grotesque sound that made his heart skip a beat. He looked over his shoulder and Henry hadn’t moved from his spot, but he dropped the gun as his hands were ballooning in size. His skin pigmentation was changing radically. Henry fell to his hands and knees and he grunted in sudden, distraught pain. Will clenched Kate’s wound and crossed over to Kate’s other side, gaping at the way Henry’s body mutated out of proportion—his torso twice as large as his hindquarters. The fur didn’t erupt over the skin but the flattened snout tried to fight it’s way forward, defining the rest of his face, giving Henry an inherently violent air. Henry rose to his feet, denim ripping up his legs, and ran after Barbaro.

Kate stared at him with a wild panic and reached for Will’s arm. The alley behind them reverberated with a pained yowl followed by the sound of garbage cans being flung against the wall. Then silence. Will’s own pulse thrummed loud in his head and he was woozy from the sight of Kate’s blood all over his lap and hands. He pulled the bloody piece of clothing away to check the wound. Barbaro hadn’t hit the carotid artery, but the slice arced down past her collarbone as well as along her chin. She would live, he hoped.

“It’s okay, you’ll be okay,” Will kept repeating, almost for his own benefit. Kate closed her eyes and her grip was loosening by the time the paramedics arrived. He offered them a truncated version of events and saw the ambulance off, knowing that Magnus would be at the emergency room to meet them. He tried to estimate when the police would arrive on the scene except he couldn’t _think_ , everything had gone wrong in a matter of seconds. Will tried his best to wipe his hands clean, but his clothes were bloodied beyond measure. He avoided looking at the bloodstained pavement as he turned to the alley, approaching the mouth with caution. He flicked out the small flashlight from his pocket. The scent of garbage and urine was enough to turn his stomach if it hadn’t been somersaulting already. He took a few steps forward, wishing he had his tranquilizer rounds on him. He wasn’t sure he trusted himself to fire a shot that disabled, not killed, and a part of him wished he’d spent more time in the shooting range with Ashley who’d been the best marksman he’d ever seen.

He flicked the safety off, resolving not to fire. He strained to see what he could with the small flashlight and ambient streetlight. Relief flooded his system when he saw the human outline of Henry huddled on the ground, leaning against the dank brick. On closer inspection, Henry was half-naked, Barbaro face down at his feet, dead. He didn’t know how long he stood there staring, but it was the sound of Henry’s whisper that made him close the gap without hesitation.

“Henry,” Will said, his voice cracking. He’d seen monsters kill, eviscerate and even procreate in front of him before. He’d witnessed incredible and dangerous creatures form-shift into a new stage of metamorphosis with his own eyes, but this was _Henry_ , the guy who saved all their asses numerous times and went to Comic Con with the Big Guy, who enjoyed surfing and taking apart network servers for _fun_.

Will cleared his throat and repeated his name. Henry picked his head up from his drawn knees and looked at him. Will’s stomach tumbled backwards at the yellow gleam in his eyes but it was the quiet, canine whine that made his heart twist.

“This can’t be happening,” Henry said again and buried his face into his knees, stifling the sound.

“Hey, look at me,” Will said but Henry didn’t budge. Will crouched beside him.

“Kate’s going to be fine. Let’s get you home, okay? I know you’re scared, but we’re going to work through this. You know that we will,” he said. He gave Henry a minute of silence before he offered his hand, an important gesture that served two purposes: _I’m your friend_ and _I’m not afraid_. He couldn’t be afraid, not when it was Henry.

Henry picked his head up again and stared at Barbaro’s lifeless form. Will angled the light away from the body. “Please. Let me help you,” Will said. He had to deal with the body sooner rather than later but Henry was the priority and he couldn’t let him sit here next to the man he killed any longer than was humanly possible.

Henry braced against the wall and pushed himself up. He took a few shaky steps as if he wasn’t used to standing upright and walking on his own. He shied away from Will’s attempt to help him keep his balance and hobbled back to the van in the parking lot. The howl of police sirens in the distance gave a certain urgency to ushering Henry along at a faster pace but Will didn’t have it in him to rush him. Henry moved like he was the living dead, limbs limp, shoulders slumped. Will made sure to stop and pick up the remnants of Henry’s shirt as they passed by and averted his eyes as best he could from the pool of blood. He’d seen dozens upon dozens of crime scenes—now in each hemisphere—both abnormal and simply criminal, and it was that emotional distance that made him effective in law enforcement. But when it was his colleague like this, it was almost too much to bear. Especially when there was collateral damage.

Will opened the passenger door for Henry, eyes skating over his skin. He appeared flushed, or at least parts of his back appeared to be discolored—brown, but without the fur. The number of scratches on his torso and biceps were numerous and still bleeding. His wrists were bruised a deep purple, like the circulation had been cut off and Will wondered how much Barbaro had resisted. Henry climbed into the van, sans shoes, his jeans loosely flapping against his thighs.

Will slid into the driver’s seat and tore back to the Sanctuary. He snuck a few tentative looks over at Henry who remained passive, staring straight ahead.

It was only when Will pulled past the gate and they were safely on the grounds of the Sanctuary and pulling into the garage that Henry fiddled with the handle of the door, hesitating.

“Kate’s alive?”

“Yes, Magnus is with her,” Will said.

Henry remained silent as he got out of the van on autopilot. His balance was better, no longer swaying or stumbling, but he took his time, carrying the burden of murder on his shoulders. The discoloration of Henry’s back seemed to fade and Will made a point to note the observation to Magnus at a later time, but for now he kept his distance, eyes lingering on the bruised wrists. Henry’s watch was missing—so was the leather wrist strap and Will wondered if the sudden increase in Henry’s size made the items like blood pressure cuffs, cutting off circulation until the straps broke completely.

That was another worry that Will filed away amongst the list of larger concerns. He was grateful to see that the Big Guy was waiting for Henry at the elevators. The Big Guy slung his large arm around Henry, pulling him close and wordlessly ushered him into the elevator.

Will leaned against the wall, slid down, closed his eyes, and exhaled the breath he’d been holding.

***

  
Will sat on the edge of the gurney with Henry’s medical file in his lap. At his request Magnus gave him select access to Henry’s medical history and he’d spent the last few days poring over the information; the most important being the fact that Henry had stopped any pharmacological treatments that kept him in control of his abnormal side. He looked to Magnus who was adjusting the settings on her microscope.

“Why did he stop taking the diazepam?” Will asked, figuring that was the best place to start.

“Once Henry decided he did not want the surgical option he decided he wanted to forgo any medical treatment for controlling his hormones at this time,” Magnus said. The words were not exactly curt, but they had enough of an edge that Will wondered how she advised him on taking that course of action.

“Is that wise?” Will asked. It was a sincere question and he’d defer to Magnus’ breadth of experience, but he needed to understand reasoning and context for things of this magnitude.

“Whether it’s prudent or not is not my decision. He is dear to me, but he is also my patient,” Magnus said, effectively working around giving him an answer. Will slipped a paperclip on to a page, marketing it to come back when he could give it more attention.

“Nobody’s seen him in, what, almost a week?” Will asked.

“He’s hiding, naturally,” Magnus said, meeting his eyes, the concern evident. “I had to go to him in order to obtain blood samples to make a comparative analysis.”

“I’ve heard that he hasn’t been eating,” Will said.

“He’s not eating enough. If he stops completely, then it will be a problem,” Magnus clarified and opened the cabinet to pull out the box of slides.

“The psychological strain of what Henry’s going through is enormous,” Will said.

“Indeed it is. As you very well know, treating the body and the mind are two very different things,” she said. She paused and stared at him thoughtfully and then used her thumbs to open the box as she walked to her stool. “I’d like to see if you can talk to him,” she said.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” he said. The last time he spoke to Henry about his abnormal side he’d done a fine job of all but accusing him of being a shapeshifter and posing a threat to the Sanctuary. He didn’t want to inflict any more unintended hurt if he didn’t have to.

Magnus smiled at him, a small, kind smile, with a tinge of sadness or perhaps it was regret. Will couldn’t distinguish between the two with her. She took her seat and set the slides aside. “I’ve spent considerable time discussing the implications for these changes with Henry since I brought him to the Sanctuary,” she said. “He knew this was coming and he knows how I feel about the subject. This is, after all, his home and he knows that this is the best place in the world for him.”

Will nodded and the file, pausing to look at an old x-ray of a broken collarbone when Henry had—according to Magnus’ own penmanship perfect notes, had almost fallen down the elevator shaft if it weren’t for Ashley grabbing him at the last moment and hauling him to safety. Will smiled at the image and paged back to the latest MRI and PET scans.

“It might be too early for him to have company,” Will said.

“Perhaps,” Magnus said in her way that alluded to something more.

Will shook his head and Magnus unloaded the one box of slides on the table and went to check on the nearby centrifuge while he puzzled out her line of thinking. There were only so many reasons Magnus could choose from; it was his job to consult with patients after traumatic events, but because this was Henry and everything was more than it seemed, it meant she was referring to what happened earlier in the year.

“You think he’ll be more responsive to me because he had originally changed in order to save me. Because that was the first time that happened to him,” Will said. That experience had felt different than what happened last week. That time he’d been too out-of-his-mind with fear and he didn’t actually _see_ Henry change. It was mostly a blur. But it was clear that the Big Guy had reserves of empathy when he’d saved Henry’s modesty by covering him.

“The Big Guy’s known him longer,” Will added.

Magnus seated herself on the stool, knee-high boots coming to rest on the bottom rung and she folded her hands in her lap.

“That’s true and I’m sure my old friend has spoken with him,” she paused and Will frowned because he could feel the _but_ coming. “I have seen hundreds of abnormals go through various physical and psychological changes and often times I’ve seen a subconscious bond form between those who were present with the abnormal at the time they begin to manifest.”

Magnus paused, allowing that to sink in and Will looked back down at the medical information.

“You’re saying it’s like a form of imprinting,” Will said and Magnus nodded. Which didn’t necessarily rule out the imprinting taking place on the Big Guy.

“I’m sure you haven’t forgotten the way Henry assisted you in remembering who you were after the fighting ring,” she said, picking a slide from the box.

Will recoiled at the memory of the physical and mental assault; the pinchers burrowing into his spine, his body flooded with hormones, his entire DNA rewritten in a matter of days, all that was not something to remember. It may have taken a matter of days to completely change into that super-human fighter, but reversing the process had been much more time consuming and difficult, with Magnus working around the clock to find a way of getting his body under control. Henry, along with Ashley’s own brand of assistance, took the time to keep him grounded, remembering who he was and why he was working here at the Sanctuary. The amnesia came with a bout of photosensitivity and paranoia but he was able to eventually return to normal. But it was when Henry had leaped in front of him in the ring, grabbing him and _not letting go_ , it was an epiphany that struck him like lightning, painful and terrifying wrapped up in unconscionable shame and guilt over what he was.

“That’s not the same thing as what he’s going through,” Will said, the half-lie falling past his lips before he could stop it. Henry was naturally part abnormal, that’s who he was. Will had been changed without his consent, but he knew that she was probably onto something.

“No, but there’s something to be said for that level of understanding you’ve established,” Magnus said and not for the first or last time, Will was impressed by her analysis of the situation. Interpersonal dynamics and psychiatry might not be her forte, but she certainly knew how to appraise situations that affected her staff.

Will raised his eyebrows and hopped off the gurney, closing the file. “I think you have your hopes set a little high, but I’ll see what I can do.”

“Good luck,” Magnus said. Will gave her a brief nod and he left to make a short detour to pick up a malfunctioning library laptop on his way to Henry’s room.

He knocked several times and waited. When he didn’t hear anything inside he cleared his throat. “Henry?”

There was no response and Will felt uneasy about this venture.

“Do you mind if I come in?” he asked. More silence followed and he tucked the laptop under his arm and twisted the knob, door unlocked, and tentatively poked his head inside.

Henry was on his bed, flat on his back and turned his head to stare at Will.

“Sorry for bothering you,” Will said and froze in the doorway.

Henry dropped his head back onto his pillow.

“Do you have a moment?” he asked.

“I don’t want to talk,” Henry said.

“That’s fine, don’t need to talk,” he ceded easily. “I actually came by to see if you could get my laptop to boot in something other than safe mode,” he said, holding the machine up for Henry to see.

Henry hesitated and then sat up, eyeing him, seeing clear through the pretense but that didn’t keep him from motioning him forward. Will handed the laptop over and stood quietly as Henry flipped the screen up and began working his magic.

Will glanced around the room. It was cluttered, but in an organized, lived-in way. He lingered near the bed for a few more moments before wandering to the open window. The hardwood floors under the windowsill had water stains, like he couldn’t be bothered to close the window during the storms. He turned, eyeing the untouched food sitting on top of Henry’s dresser, then to the spare pillowcase that was draped over the mirror. It was interesting. Hiding the mirror instead of outright breaking it. Will looked back to Henry who had the laptop resting on a thigh.

He glanced at the sketches hanging on the walls, skimming the number of ceremonial bushido swords on display, and let his mind idly wonder where he’d gotten the golden Buddha head that sat on top of his shelves. Will walked back across the room and sat down in the chair next to Henry’s bed and folded his hands in his lap, quietly waiting, eyes skimming the titles on the bookshelf—several of them in French, a number of titles on Thicht Nan Hahn and southeast Asia, a glossy spine whose titled promised movie quotes, a text on the history of Old City, a coffee table book of Ansel Adams, several comic book collections including Dark Horrors and Watchmen. It was a more eclectic collection than he originally noticed. But then again he was too busy giving Henry the third degree about being a threat to the Sanctuary to have taken in the set dressing of Henry’s life.

“Have you been checking your email?” Will asked, his eye caught on the slow moving whirl of Henry’s screensaver on the desktop machine.

“Not really,” Henry said.

Will dug a thumbnail into the wood of the chair and looked to him, trying to keep his tone light. “Feel up to coming to the staff meeting tonight?”

“Nope,” Henry said.

“Okay,” Will said, not bothering to push that subject or any other.

Henry tapped the trackpad several times; twisting his fingers in some arrangement of shortcuts Will couldn’t possibly follow and then powered the laptop down and handed it back to him. “Good as new,” he said in a flat affect. He smoothed out wrinkles in the pajama’s leg, then lay back down and rolled onto his side, away from him, hand curling into the pillow.

“Thanks,” Will said. “Is there—”

“Nope,” Henry repeated.

“Okay, Henry. I’ll see you later,” Will said and closed the door behind him. He rapped his knuckles across the laptop and walked down the hallway.

So much for the imprint theory.

***

  
Magnus gave a curt bow and Will did the same. They were saying farewell to Darya, their Tajik guest. Magnus had treated Darya and her family for a dangerous contagion that was the result of disturbing the Pamir Mountains with mining operations. After Darya was gone, Magnus gave him a sidelong glance.

“You may want to take a trip to up the game room. I hear there is a particularly interesting battle scheduled to commence,” she said with a smile and walked off before Will could ask her what she meant.

Two floors down, Will stepped off the elevator and headed deep into the East wing of the Sanctuary, to the small nook tucked away they rarely had enough downtime to use anymore. As soon as he rounded the corner Will could hear Big Guy’s angry grunts from some distance away, followed by a clipped laugh that turned into a half-cough, sounding like it hurt. Kate.

Will stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, bemused at the sight of Henry and the Big Guy standing at the air hockey table that’d been the featured game for several years running. Kate was nearby in the recliner, feet up, drink in hand, enjoying the game as an avid spectator.

The mirth in the room was infectious; there was no question that Henry was the source.  
The rec room was a playground that Henry and Ashley had spent years putting together and it was a clear labor of love. It was subdivided into the game section and the lounge where the flat screen TV hung on the wall nearest to the windows. He once asked Henry why he opted for the high-def screen instead of the projector technology utilized in the media room and ended up with a 40-minute lecture on the finer points of plasma vs. LCD quality for showcasing the best that Blu-Ray had to offer.

“Alright, I’m putting money down on you, Big Guy. Don’t fail me now,” Kate said and then cheered over the sound of rapid, loud clinks. When Henry met his eyes, his posture stiffened dramatically and he failed to block the puck as it shot past him into the goal. Will wasn’t surprised that Henry was put off by his appearance. After all, he was the one who saw Henry lose control so completely. It was a terrifying ordeal but for Henry he probably felt shame. Will offered him a wave but Henry’s eyebrows shot up as his attention went back to the table and he wore a lopsided frown.  
The walls were lined with vintage arcade games that Henry had picked up at auction and repaired himself while the array of movie posters—some of Henry’s, others of Ashley’s—were mixed with Warhol paintings and other pop art contributions that he couldn’t attribute. The furniture was less than a decade old and it was the one place that didn’t feel gothic or abnormal in the whole Sanctuary. Except the players were a sasquatch in a fierce air-hockey battle with a man who happened to be a werewolf while a disgruntled spectator hovered at eye-level, too large to be a moth, too small and mouthy to be a bat.

“Oh, come on, are you friggin’ _blind_ , can’t you see that _my_ guy’s got technique while your big oaf is just slamming the puck every which way?”

Napaeae flipped Kate a rude gesture and flew a circuit around the air hockey table before returning to his drink on the coffee table. He sucked an amber liquid through a quarter inch straw from a small rounded dish and grinned at Will.

Kate waved to him from the set of recliners, scarf prominently covering the bandages, a parting difference from the first time he met Ashley who wore her scars like a badge of honor.

“Yo, Doctor Masochist! Care to put some money down?” Napaeae asked. Will rolled his eyes, hating that he called him that.

“I’m rooting for the Big Guy,” Kate said over the loud clink-clink-ca- _clunk_ and a trail of low-pitched breathy-scoffs from the Big Guy. Henry groaned but laughed and mimed pushing up his sleeves.

“Exciting game?” Will asked and dragged one of the other recliners from the lounge to be adjacent to Kate.

“It’s cutthroat,” Kate said. Will raised an eyebrow but Kate smirked, effectively batting away his concern.

“Someone’s feeling better,” he said. She looked well-rested and Magnus had inferred that Kate had bounced back from far worse prior to her employ. Henry was also looking better for the most part, his seemingly boundless energy returned, which was a good sign, even if Henry still felt awkward around him.

“I’ll be even better when Big Guy whoops his ass,” Kate said and Will smiled.

“I was a tri-state air-hockey champion,” Henry announced in a point of pride, grin plastered on his face as he shucked the puck back at the Big Guy who blocked it with a broad sweeping motion. The Big Guy returned the puck with a definitive clank in the goal. Henry slapped the table in frustration and the Big Guy huffed happily.

“Brutal,” Kate said, sipping her drink.

“That was a lucky shot,” Henry said.

“4-5,” Henry said, slamming the puck back down in front of him. His hand danced around the it, feigning enough that he bounced it into a corner and the elaborate back-and-forth continued for almost a full minute before Will blinked and missed who made the shot.

“Yes!” Henry said, bouncing up and down on his heels.

“ _That’s_ what I’m talkin’ about!” Napaeae said and used the quarter length of his straw like an obnoxious air-horn except with a fraction of the volume.

“Can I be the next challenger?” Will asked.

“Hold up, cowboy. I’m next,” Kate said.

“I’ll want to play whoever the last man—or woman—” the Big Guy huffed extra loud “—or abnormal is left standing,” Will said. Napaeae scoffed obnoxiously at him.

“I’m not going down without a fight,” Kate said. Will grinned at the sense of familiarity he was beginning to feel around her, it didn’t seem like she’d ever go down without a fight.

“Oh, you’ll go down,” Henry said and made another goal. The Big Guy pounded the table in his own frustration and the table jumped.

“That’s what she said,” Kate said and Henry’s shoulders slumped. He turned to face Kate, affronted.

“Really? ‘That’s what she said’? Oh shi—” Henry spun back to the table, just missing the Big Guy’s shot.  
Will laughed and Kate handed him an unopened can of beer and he took it with one hand while using the other to flick the footrest up to watch the rest of the game, residual concern ebbing from his mind.

***

  
Will leaned against the open door of the van. It was their first time in the field with Henry in almost a month and everyone was hoping the op would go down without a hitch even if no one had said as much. It was a relatively simple mission, as far as simple missions went for them. Inside the parking garage there were 14 husufaan, a powerful, telepathic breed of abnormals, that when combined with their bondmates, would create a telepathic net that would cover most of Old City and New City combined. Magnus knew that this particular individual had the bondmates in his possession. They had to take them into custody before they began moving.

Which is where Henry came in. “Okay, I’m in the system,” Henry said. Will unfolded his arms and walked to the end of the van and peered inside. Henry was staring at one of several monitors, entering the series of commands that would bring down the intercity rail in a matter of minutes. They’d secured the surrounding blocks and evacuated everyone, but if the train passed overhead when Henry’s device was emitting the neuropathic waves, there would be a number of brain aneurysms for those not protected. The abnormals’ human handlers were just as much of a problem as the husfuaan themselves: armed to the teeth and dressed to the defensive nines, braced against any kind of neuro attack which was a requisite when dealing with that kind of telepath.

Magnus was conferring with the retrieval team several feet away on the radio when she turned and gave Henry a brief nod.

Henry motioned Will forward and together they unloaded the neuro-emitter some ten feet away from the van. Will took a step back and Henry kneeled, opening the case. It looked like he’d slapped pieces of a medical imaging device with a VCR together with bundles of cables. Henry pulled a hand-held control from his pocket, pushed a button on the emitter and looked at Will. “You might want to take a step back. And let Magnus know if your nose starts bleeding,” he said. Will gaped for only a moment before he sought refuge in the van again, watching the various lines of program code stream across the screen.

“Alright,” Henry said and picked up his radio. “Kate, you and the Big Guy ready?”

 _“Ready,”_ she said. Kate and the Big Guy were stationed on the other side of the building with a dish that they’d also calibrated to nullify the husufaan’s telepathic abilities. Kate would fire up the device at the same time as Henry, which would bring the abnormals safely down.

Henry climbed back into the van and stared at Will for almost five seconds until Will realized he was in the way. He offered an apology and shifted to make room so Henry could re-take his seat. Henry clicked his tongue in annoyance as he sat down. Magnus remained close, apprehension clear in the way she strode toward the van. Will was sure they could have handled this op without her but it was an open secret that she wanted to keep an eye on Henry, just like he did.

“Everything’s in the green and you’ll have to turn it off within 90 seconds. No more, no less, capisce?” Henry said.

 _“Got it,”_ Kate said.

“We’re good to go?” Henry asked.

“Naoko and his team will be taking the abnormals,” Will said. “We just need to do the initial head count and make sure all them are accounted for and provide backup if they need it against the handlers.”

“Now, Henry,” Magnus said.

“Okie dokie,” Henry said, tapping the keyboard. He clicked the radio. “Now.”

The device didn’t give off any visible light or make a sound but the way the graphics pulsated on the screen in a sequence of six beats, repeating faster and faster, indicated that the device was working as Henry had advertised. The second screen Will watched had the corresponding set of readings from Kate and the Big Guy on the other side of the building, rising to the same frequency as Henry’s.

“And begin powering down,” Henry radioed, watching the images match in sync and decrease in frequency. “Tell the retrieval team they’re a go,” Henry said, pride evident in his voice.

“Well done, Henry,” Magnus said, impressed. She turned and grinned. Henry swelled with lavish pride, eyes crinkling.

Will patted Henry on the back. “Awesome,” he said.

“Thanks,” Henry said and cleared his voice. He shrugged the hand from his shoulder and by now Will was feeling the slights like papercuts. “‘S’cuse me.” Henry shuffled out of the van. Will watched him head towards the emitter and carefully unplug several of the cords.

***

  
Will was having a minor disagreement with Magnus regarding the flow of information and access to the new arrivals. Magnus was being elusive for no apparent reason, and Will wanted to _make_ their disagreement apparent. He rubbed his forehead and stared at the bonsai tree sitting on Magnus’ desk, wishing he could light it on fire out of pure frustration. He understood Magnus had her reasons for obfuscation, but if she’d only trust him, he could do his job better. There was a knock at the door and when he turned, Kate was standing there, hesitating, probably because of the tone of his voice. Magnus gave her the briefest of nods to enter.

“Sorry to interrupt. I can come back,” she said, jerking a thumb at the door, like she didn’t want to interrupt the principal and vice principal in the middle of a heated argument.

“No, please. We could use a recess,” Magnus said, meeting his eyes and Will wasn’t looking forward to round two. “What’s on your mind?” she asked and the way she lengthened her spine and crossed her ankles beneath her desk tipped Will off to the frustration that she was leaving behind. He closed his eyes and stood.

“It’s about Henry,” she said, looking ominous as she took the seat next to Will. He sat back down and Magnus’ body language reflected her own mounting concern.

“Did something happen?” Will asked.

“No. Well, nothing like last time, but… I don’t know. He doesn’t seem like himself,” Kate said.

“He changed?” Will asked.

“No, this is more, like, the little things,” Kate said. Magnus remained silent, face still composed in placid reception. He knew he was wearing his concern plain on his face.

“Like what?” Will asked.

“We were waiting for Tyne in New City, to pick up the equipment she had sent over from Tokyo and she was late. I’ve seen Henry impatient before, you know how I hate stakeouts with him unless he’s got his doodads to mess with, but this time he was _super_ mean and impatient,” Kate said. “It’s not like him.”

“Interesting,” Magnus said, distant and calculating, and Will shifted in his chair, not liking the tone.

“He was completely rude when Tyne finally showed up, passive-aggressive and everything.”

Will frowned and Magnus folded her hands on her desk. “Thank you, Kate,” she said. “If you could—“

Kate nodded. “Yeah, I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“I appreciate that,” Magnus said.

“Magnus, you’ve been monitoring Henry regularly since Barbaro. Is there anything that should worry us?”

Magnus inclined her head but it wasn’t precisely a nod. “His hormone levels have not fluctuated since that night but the possibility remains that a personality shift may be a precursor to further biological changes.”

Will furrowed his brow. “Wait a second, is it possible he was having a bad day?”

“He stood the Big Guy up on their Thursday night TV and avoided helping clean the mayberry’s cage,” Kate said.

“Oh, come on. You can’t blame him for ditching cleaning duty.” Will said and wrinkled his nose. “And who hasn’t skipped TV night to do work? Didn’t you ask him to make another pass on the security system on the main level to make sure no one slipped in the back door again?” Kate tilted her head at him and he raised his hands in defense.

“Playing devil’s advocate here,” he said. “It’s important not to leap to any conclusions.”

“Fair enough,” Magnus conceded and Will looked at Kate who remained skeptical.

“Okay, so you might have known him longer than me but I really don’t think everything’s groovy,” she insisted.

Will leaned on the armrest and shook his head. “You think he’s in danger of wolfing out again? He’s been a little short with me here and there, but in my opinion I think he needs the space to figure things out. If anything, he’s suffering from a mild case of PTSD—which is something that we should of course keep an eye on—but we shouldn’t conflate what may be a separate issue of him changing,” he said, looking from Kate to Magnus. She nodded in agreement.

“Look, the last time he changed was during a stressful situation. He’s been out in the field, but from what I’ve seen it’s been smooth sailing for us these last few weeks,” Kate said. “That doesn’t mean he won’t hurt someone again. And I don’t want to be in his way when that happens. We have to make sure we can help him if it comes to that, right? That’s what you guys do from what I’ve seen,” she said.

Magnus was thoughtful and seemed to acknowledge Kate’s point. “Adrenaline is one of the key factors in protean individuals like Henry,” she said.

“And adrenaline is kind of a middle name around here,” Kate said.

“Well, for Henry’s sake, I hope you’re not right,” Will said.

“It’s best we remain on our toes and take any precautions necessary to ensure everyone’s safety,” Magnus said.

“And what does that entail? Taking him off the mission list? Because that’ll tip him off right there if you don’t think he’s fit for the field,” Will said.

“No, nothing like that at this moment. We’ll continue to monitor him and if there are any other interpersonal discrepancies in the next few weeks, then I’ll run more tests.”

“Oh, more tests. He’ll love that,” Kate muttered.

“Okay I think I’m going to bone up on my werewolf reading,” Will said and rose from his chair. He didn’t think their concerns were unwarranted but the important distinction was that he didn’t want them to be right. Because if this was only the beginning of more problems for Henry, he wasn’t sure what they could do about it and that worried the hell out of him.

***

  
Will opened his eyes, groaned and dragged himself upright. Bleary-eyed with sleep, he stared at the indentation that his nose made on his arm. He rubbed his face and let his head hang. Will had spent the last several evenings tucked away in the corner of the library, searching through centuries of ancient texts on lycanthropy. His resources were scattered across the table along with empty dishes, his personal laptop flipped open with his notes and suppositions about the most common precursors to full-blown werewolf manifestation. Between the myths, fairy tales, shaky first-hand accounts from Jesuit priests in Austria and lack of any concrete sightings in the last three decades, Will was frustrated. He’d learned more about werewolves from movies. Even Magnus, given her dealings with these kinds of abnormals, had little to offer.

He took his dishes and made the long trek down to the kitchens for depositing. He was about to head to his room for a shower and some fresh clothes when he saw the Big Guy walking down the hallway with a large trash bag slung over his shoulder.

“Hey, Big Guy, got a minute?” Will asked, running to catch him at the corner. The Big Guy stopped and turned. Will still had the damnedest time reading him because it was hard to parse his facial expressions. He could pick up some cues from the Big Guy’s intonation and breathy snorts, but not as much as he could with other people. It was something that he really had to work for.

“It’s about Henry,” Will said. He couldn’t be sure what the Big Guy was thinking but he canted his head, as if giving him permission to continue.

“Have you noticed anything different about Henry’s personality lately?” Will asked. He could only learn so much history about lycanthropy, but the Big Guy was as good a resource as any when it came to understanding _Henry’s_ history.

The Big Guy canted his head and the breathy huffs faded into silence. Will waited; hoping it meant that he was going to help him out.

“He’s still upset,” the Big Guy said, as if he admitted it with reservations, betraying a confidence.

“About Barbaro,” Will said.

“Yes,” he said. Will folded his arms loosely. It was something he already knew. Some people don’t ever get over killing a man, which was probably a good thing in some respects.

“He’s still learning how to live with who he is,” the Big Guy said, breathy huffs punctuating the statement.

“Of course. This is… totally unlike anything that’s happened to him before,” Will said. The Big Guy nodded.

“Have you ever seen Henry really irritable or upset for such a prolonged period of time like this before?” Will asked.

“The life we live can take it’s toll on anyone. Even Henry,” The Big Guy said. The crypticness gave Will pause.

“But has he ever had any issues with anger in the past? Lashed out?”

“Only in the line of duty. Only to protect others,” Big Guy said.

Will shifted his weight. The smell of the garbage bag was taking him back to the alley and the blood on Henry’s hands.

“You were here when Henry came to live at the Sanctuary,” Will said, more of a statement than a question and the Big Guy huffed in the affirmative.

“He was a child. Scared, wild,” the Big Guy said.

“Does he have any memory of his life before he met Magnus?”

“He doesn’t recall,” Big Guy said.

“Has he ever met anyone like him?” Will asked. The Big Guy shook his head and Will ran his hands through his hair, reminding him of the shower he needed.

“How do you feel about all this? Do you think Henry’s changing?” Will asked.

“The other part of Henry is both a gift and a curse, I have told him as much,” he said. “It will take time and perseverance for him to come to understand this.”

There was something in the blunt remark that reverberated in Will. It wasn’t much different than what Magnus had told him, yet the way he said it with such conviction made Will nod several times before patting him on the arm.

“Alright. Thanks,” he said.

The Big Guy snorted and took the bag of garbage and headed down the hallway. Will, mulling over the information, headed to his room.

***

  
Will groaned and sat up on the hotel room bed. It’d been several hours that they’d been monitoring the meeting between Magnus, Kate and the Panthal family. He still couldn’t believe Kate was on the inside with Magnus. That’s where he should be. It was his skill set, his negotiation skills and ability to read and— hello, _profile_ people, they needed to anticipate and maneuver through tricky situations like this. He’d be valuable to Magnus and that meeting, but Kate used to work for the Panthal’s distant cousins and that’d given them a foot in the door. But he also knew that Magnus wanted to expose Kate to the finer art of negotiation and help polish some of Kate’s rough edges just enough to add to her own skill set.

He could understand Magnus’ reasoning, even agree with it, but that didn’t mean he liked it. At the very least, it gave him the opportunity to spend time with Henry and ascertain how he was doing these days.

Henry had installed the cameras four different places in the room and there was a bug embedded inside Kate’s fingerless gloves so they could watch and listen for any signals from Kate or Magnus in case the talks broke down.

Henry sat at the desk, headphones askew on his head so that one ear was open, but he had to be as bored as Will was because there was a game of spider solitaire open on his second laptop.

“Any progress?” Will asked.

“Nada. Kate looks like she wants to sucker punch Dreyfuss though,” he said and chuckled.

“No, I meant the game, actually,” Will said with a grin and Henry laughed and gave him a shrug.

“Can we get some room service or something? I’m starving,” Will said, swinging his legs to the side of the bed and reached for the hotel-provided folder for food options.

“Roast beef for me if they have it,” Henry said.

Will scanned through the menu. “No roast beef but there’s pulled pork,” Will said.

“If there’s fries, it’s good enough,” Henry said.

Will ordered the pulled pork for Henry and a cheeseburger for himself and flopped back onto the bed. “Magnus hasn’t done many of these kinds of in-depth negotiations since I’ve been working with you guys,” Will said.

“It’s not often that these kind of people want to sit down and talk,” Henry said.

“When’s the last time she’s had a meeting like this? And why couldn’t she get them to agree to come to the Sanctuary?”

“Neutral ground, y’know,” Henry said, though it wasn’t neutral and they didn’t trust them, the surveillance was their precaution. “Last one was probably in ‘05 in Zagreb. Took a week of talks but Magnus finally got them to come around and help us out,” he said.

“A week? I should have brought more reading,” Will said, eyes glancing at his bag that sat between the beds.

“Don’t sweat it. Besides, doesn’t that thing have like a thousand channels?” Henry asked, jerking a thumb at the television set.

“I guess,” Will said and reached for the remote.

“What, didn’t you have any stakeouts when you were with the police?”

“Ha-hah,” Will said sarcastically, turning the TV on and channel surfing until he randomly stopped on an old spaghetti Western. He dug out his own laptop and sat cross-legged on the bed, peering at the screen. He had enough work to keep him busy for the foreseeable future but he was mostly trying to figure out what kind of safe ground he could cover with regards to Henry.

“So are you going to bite my head off if I ask how you’re doing?” Will asked, immediately regretting his choice of words.

“I’m good,” Henry said and Will stared at his back for a few moments before contemplating what felt like his next chess move.

“Cool,“ Will said. “Bet you’re glad to be out and about again.”

“It’s nice to feel like I’m not going bonkers,” Henry said matter-of-factly. It wasn’t exactly the best “in” he’d ever been given, and Will would try to take it but before he could follow-up, Henry slid the ear of the headset back on and directed his attention to the screen again.

Will worked on the backlog of reports until room service knocked. He opened the door and smiled at the sight of the food cart while the young woman recited the order.

“Yeah, thanks, I’ll take it from here,” Will said, making sure to keep the door closed enough so that she couldn’t see what would be suspicious activity inside. The scent of the pulled pork and oozing cheeseburger made his stomach grumble. As he reached for the cart, he noticed that her uniform was untucked, her hair pulled into a sloppy ponytail and she wore much heavier makeup than what was required in hotel staffer. Will pulled the cart close, fingers curling around the handle.

She reached from behind her and brandished the dark gunmetal barrel at him. Will shoved the cart at her as she fired and he ducked but ended up falling backwards into the door, hitting his head as he slid to the floor.

“What the—” Henry called.

The woman fired again but Henry fired off a shot at her and Will watched her run in the opposite direction.

“Will!” Henry said, falling to his knees.

He was bleeding, no wonder his side ached. Henry dragged him inside the room and pulled him onto the bed, pushing up his shirt. Henry disappeared for a moment and he continued to bleed and sweat profusely. When Henry reappeared, he cried out at the sudden pressure on his wound.

“I think they know we’re here,” Will said meekly.

“Dude, save your strength,” Henry said and grabbed Will’s hand, placing it on the folded towel.

“Magnus…” Will said.

Henry spun around to look at the video feed. Kate and Magnus had overturned the conference table and were using it as a shield. Will couldn’t remember how they smuggled weapons into the meeting but from the look of the scorched and bullet-ridden table on the other side of the room, they were holding the Panthals back. For now.

“Shit,” Henry said, grabbing the rolling suitcase from beside the bed. He slung his amped-up weapon over his shoulder took the safety off the handgun but faltered when he saw Will.

Will groaned and waved a bloodied hand at Henry. “I’ve been shot before. Hell… This… is nothing,” he said. Henry nodded and ran off. The conference room was on the third floor and Will wasn’t sure if Henry would get there soon enough.

His skin felt on fire and it took forever for him to open his eyes and turn his head to the side, looking at the video feed. Eventually the screen went fuzzy, Magnus and Kate disappearing completely and then his vision went white.

***

  
Magnus appeared in the infirmary and Will sat up, trying to quell his anger. His surgery went well and he was finally off the IV medication. Apparently she had deemed it time to fill him in because she pulled a stool close and sat down, settling the tablet on his lap and bottle of painkillers in his hand.

“What’s this?” he asked, looking down at the video player on pause.

She cleared her throat. “Once they realized we had the meeting under surveillance, they no longer trusted us, which is when they sent their operative to kill you and Henry first. Kate and I were next. We were unable to escape until Henry arrived.”

“What the hell happened?”

Magnus looked discomfited and Will struggled to lean forward. “Magnus,” he said, hoping his wince helped reassert his concern.

“I’ll let you see for yourself,” she said and began the playback of the recording.

Henry had begun firing at the Panthals but that wasn’t helping. It was clear from the angle of the camera that Henry completely lost himself and changed in front of everyone. The fur erupted over his skin, arms lengthening and clothes ripping. He launched himself into the room, landing on the Panthals’ table, breaking it in half, and swatted the men like they were ragdolls. They hit the walls, their spines clearly cracking. Henry spun around and pounced on the table Magnus and Kate were using and the two fell backward. Kate fired—aiming at his shoulder—and Henry roared, stomping again while Magnus scrambled to her feet, leveling her weapon at Henry.

“Henry, everything’s okay,” she said.

He was about to pounce on her again when Kate shot him for a second time and he fell over, his fur melting away to reveal his crumpled human form. Kate’s whole body shook and she covered her face with an arm as Magnus crouched beside him.

“What the—” Will said. The video stopped there and he gaped at Magnus.

“Henry’s alive,” Magnus said quickly.

“Did you think this would happen again?” Will asked severely and Magnus was uncomfortable.

“It seems like Kate’s instincts were right, that there was a personality shift that preceded this kind of event.

“The medication that he used to take, it was supposed to help stop this kind of thing from happening, correct?” Will asked.

“It was, past tense. He’s no longer pursuing the pharmacological options, as I’ve told you before.”

“But _why_? Why, if it’ll help him with this?”

“He believes it’s not in his best interest and I’m inclined to agree,” Magnus said.

“That doesn’t tell me anything,” Will said and Magnus looked like she resented his bitter tone. He tried to clear his face of negativity and sighed. “Okay, where is he now?”

“He’s placed himself in confinement downstairs,” Magnus said and she sounded uneasy.

Will handed her the tablet and pushed the blanket down. “I’m free to go, right? Where the hell are my clothes,” he muttered, knowing that they had a veritable closet stashed away so any one of them wouldn’t have to wait for clothes to be brought to them, lest they wander the Sanctuary in hospital scrubs.

“Yes, of course, but Will, please take it easy,” she urged.

***

  
It took him twice as long to get down to the SHU. Henry wasn’t listed as residing in any of the cells in any official capacity but Will eventually found him sequestered away, several empty habitats between him and the other temporary guests. He stared at Henry through the glass for several minutes. Will knew when he was being ignored.

He keyed himself inside and sat down in the chair next to the table. Henry was on his bed, knees drawn together, a laptop resting on his thighs. The sound effects coming from the machine made it sound like he was in the midst of one of his video games. There were a few comics strewn across the table along with Henry’s personal tablet and other electronic items.

 

Henry appeared anemic, maybe even sleep-deprived if the dark circles under his eyes were any indication. There was a bandage peeking out from underneath his collar. Henry still didn’t look up from his screen.

“Hi,” Will said. He was out of breath and he was upset that it took so much out of him just to get down here.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Henry said, still avoiding any kind of eye contact.

“Same here,” Will said. “It’s been rough for the both of us, huh?”

“Did you turn into a dangerous _thing_ and almost kill your boss and friend?” Henry said, eyes flicking to Will dangerously.

Will tilted his head and struggled to remain sitting upright, the shooting pain in his back wasn’t helping with that. “Have you been down here since Magnus patched you up?”

Henry kept his focus on the laptop screen. Will was too tired from his injuries and his exasperation was minimal.

“You have to realize that you saved them. Saved me, even. So… thank you,” Will said.

“What good is saving them if I was going to maul them to death right away? I couldn’t even stop myself,” Henry said.

“But you didn’t,” Will said.

“Not because I wanted to, because Kate stopped me,” Henry said.

Will took a deep breath and shifted in his seat.

“Henry—”

“You should go,” Henry said and stared Will down until his skin crawled from discomfort.

“Okay,” he said, relenting. He did a three count before he got up, realizing he needed to take the painkillers so he could hobble back to his room.

“I’ll see you later,” Will said. Henry shook his head and tapped the trackpad of his laptop again, effectively shutting him down before he even got out of the cell. Will managed to hold his wince in until he was at the stairwell and he paused, hand on the railing, wondering what the hell he could do to help.

***

  
Will was in his office, finishing a dearth of paperwork when Kate appeared in the doorway.

“We have a situation, c’mon,” Kate said.Will began jogging down the corridor with her.

“The rubies are creating hell in the catacombs,” she said as they ran. The rubiyah, their Persian guests, recently relocated from Tabriz. “And then Magnus is trying to keep Declan from a having full-scale meltdown.”

“What?” Will asked. They were descending into the Sanctuary in the elevator.

“Declan’s facing a containment breech, a major one. They’re in lockdown, mostly,” she said.

“Holy shi— what the hell happened? Is it an external threat?” Will asked.

“Not as far as they can tell but they’re trying to get things under control,” she said and frowned.

“Is there a plan yet?”

“We’re meeting Magnus in the main lab and going from there. The Big Guy’s trying to keep them from causing too much damage but it’s not looking good.”

Magnus was still speaking with Declan when they arrived. It sounded like there was a hardware malfunction that the containment protocols weren’t acknowledging properly. The back and forth between Magnus and Declan went on for another few minutes. Kate was anxious to go and help the Big Guy while Magnus’ stress levels were rising.

“Help will be arriving from the Cairo Sanctuary,” Magnus said but that didn’t do much to allay Declan’s concern.

“That’s not going to do much good if we literally don’t have any place to put them,” Declan said. He was harried, under too much pressure, all too clear from his image on the teleconference screen. “Suhina’s on it but there’s a lot of work to be done.”

“Get Henry on the horn, he can help Suhina update their containment protocols faster than anyone,” Will said.

Magnus looked at him and hesitated. Will wondered if she’d even pitched the idea to Henry in the first place.

“Look, we’re in danger, they’re in danger. He’ll rise to the occasion, he has to,” Will said. “Besides, we don’t have a lot of options right now. He’s the one who wrote the software for the containment vehicles. Let him help Suhina update the program so it doesn’t turn into Animal House over there.”

“Is he really going to help? He’s too afraid he’s going to wolf out on us again,” Kate said all too pointedly. “And I hate to say it, but after seeing him in action, I feel the same.” Will shook his head.

“The Big Guy was going to let the Lazarus virus take him down on a matter of principle but he took Tesla’s vaccine and saved my butt. Henry will be the same, trust me,” Will said. “Let me talk to him,” he said and Magnus nodded. Magnus motioned at Kate and Kate handed Will the radio and he headed down to the SHU.

Will keyed the code to the cell and strode inside.

“The abnormals at the London Sanctuary are going to take the place over if you don’t get up there and help Suhina rewrite the program from the ground up,” Will said.

Henry stared at him, palms flat on the bed either side of himself. “Are you serious?”

“As a heart attack,” Will said. “The cell combination is 601034.”

Henry looked flummoxed and closed his laptop, standing. Will didn’t wait for him and instead started running towards the stairs. He heard the gentle hiss of the door as he made the first few steps and Will spoke into his radio.

“Henry’s coming.”

***

  
They’d debriefed in Magnus’ office, sans Henry. Will helped Kate and the Big Guy round up the rubiyah while Henry spent the better part of six hours in his lab, teleconferencing with Suhina until they got everything up and running again. The moment Magnus dismissed them, Kate ducked out faster than Speedy Gonzales to do god knows what Kate did after a crisis. The Big Guy, temperamental and exhausted from wrestling with the rubiyah, retired to sleep. Magnus was content to spend her evening unwinding in the library.

Will, on the other hand, left the Sanctuary to get a pizza and he promptly returned, heading down to the SHU. Henry was inside, sitting at the table, taking apart what appeared to be a motherboard. There was a stack of new clothes and a box of other equipment that Henry must have brought down with him.

He keyed himself in and Henry looked up from his work.

“Hey,” Will said.

“Hey,” he said. It was one of the warmer greetings he’d gotten in awhile.

“Post-crisis pizza?” Will asked, holding up the box.

“Stuffed crust?” Henry asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I like my crust crunchy, thank you very much,” Will said which was the right answer because Henry laughed and moved his hardware and comics to his bed. Will grinned and placed the pizza on the table between them.

“I take it Declan and his crew live to fight another day?” Will asked.

“Nina’s got everything under control,” Henry replied.

“You did a good job,” Will said and dug into the pizza, hoping the compliment didn’t seem overbearing. Henry shrugged and reached for a slice.

“She would have handled it just fine without me,” he said.

“Suhina’s brilliant but she’s not you,.”

“You shouldn’t underestimate her.” Henry took a large bite, grabbing the dangling pepperoni slice before it fell into his lap.

“I’m sure she appreciated your help,” Will said.

“What happened downstairs?” Henry asked.

Will wiped his fingers on the serrated cardboard, wishing he’d brought the napkins but he felt good about bringing the pizza. Henry was actually engaging him for once. “Well, the rubies took some bites out of the Big Guy, but it’s nothing he couldn’t handle. We got ‘em corralled and now they’re Sally’s new neighbors until Magnus can figure out what to do with them.”

“Nice,” Henry said.

“Yeah,” Will agreed and reached for a second slice. “You know you don’t have to stay down here.”

“Yes I do,” Henry said with cool detachment.

“We could install a reinforced door to your room so you could feel comfortable upstairs,” Will ventured.

“Gonna pass, thanks,” Henry said.

“We need you,.”

“No one else is going to get hurt if I have something to do about it,.”

“Henry, you don’t have to punish yourself like this.”

Henry shook his head.

“You were helping to protect Kate and Magnus. What happened is unfortunate but it’s okay.”

Henry shook his head again. “I have to live with it.”

Will gestured around. “This isn’t living. You’re letting yourself waste away down here out of guilt and it’s not helping you or anyone else. Not when we need you and want you to be happy,” Will said. “The only way you’re going to learn to live with it is if you can work through it in whatever capacity. And that won’t happen while you’re in here,” Will said.

Henry shifted, his face still passive, but he had to be processing what Will was giving him. Will relaxed his shoulders.

“How about a trial run. Come upstairs for two weeks. Stay in your room or not. Work or not. And afterwards, if you still feel uncomfortable, then you can come back down here and I won’t ask about it again,” Will said.

Henry frowned deeply and picked a piece of pepperoni off the pizza, holding it between his thumb and forefingers, staring at it intently.

“I’m just asking you to try it, not like it,” Will said.

The placid, passive expression shifted into that of muted skepticism and Will threw up his hands in defense.

“Henry, I know you think I’ve been trying to shrink your head about this but I’m not your doctor, I’m your _friend_ and I only want to help.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said. He grabbed another slice of pizza and relocated to his bed. He tore another pepperoni off and popped it in his mouth, eyes drifting back to Will. “Thanks for the pizza,” he said in a way that asserted that he was done talking. Will’s frustration surged and he leaned back in his chair and watched Henry eat the pizza contently, like he was ready to spend the rest of his days living in this 8x8 cell.

“Why did you stop taking the medication?” he asked pointblank.

“What?” Henry asked, and Will wasn’t sure if he was playing dumb or if the question surprised him. It could have been both.

“Why did you decide not to take the diazepam anymore? If it could help you keep the werewolf inside—”

“Don’t call it that,” Henry said, sharp enough that it made Will uncomfortable and confused. He straightened his posture a little, trying not to appear too eager to latch on to the shift in his tone.

“What do you call it?” he asked, hoping to strike the right chord of curiosity and sincerity. He didn’t want to offend, but it was the most severe reaction he’d gotten out of Henry since this all started.

Henry seemed to focus undue attention on the remaining crust of his slice when he shrugged haphazardly.

“Hyper-accelerated protean,” Henry said, like it was an afterthought.

“Hyper-accelerated protean,” Will repeated, knowing how clinical the words felt in his mouth. It was a way of distancing himself from who and what he was. The insight was valuable. Will crossed his legs, keeping his posture easy and non-threatening with the hope that Henry wasn’t going to shut him down before he got more answers from him. “Okay. But my question remains the same,” he said, the question that didn’t have answers in the medical file, nor from Magnus. It was difficult to help when he didn’t know the whole story.

“It was… just a stopgap. I got tired of battening down the hatches,” Henry said.

“And you never had these kinds of problems while you were on the medication? Or before you took the medication?” Will asked.

Henry shook his head and then shrugged. “No, I didn’t. Magnus told me these days would come. It’s not what I was expecting. Probably because I tried to forget about it,” Henry said.

Will flipped the pizza box closed and traced the _P_ in Pisa Pizza on the box, trying to sift through the information to figure out how to present his thoughts in a way that Henry would continue to engage.

“I’ve been thinking—”

“Do you ever stop?” Henry asked. Will smiled.

“—what if you had never taken the medication? I mean, your biochemistry was changing regardless of whether you took the diazepam, right? You said it yourself, it didn’t stop anything. For all you know, it caused more harm than good. Maybe that’s why you’re having trouble now—because it interfered with the metamorphic process.”

Henry was silent for a long moment before he gave him another shrug. He leaned over and picked up the motherboard and screwdriver from the end of his bed. “Maybe,” he said, and part of Will’s hopes sank, wondering if Henry was dismissing the theory outright.

“It’s almost like you tried installing a new operating system but it ended up becoming corrupted.”

 _“What?”_ Henry said and laughed. “Okay, you’re not allowed to use tech metaphors, ever. Get out of here before my brain starts dribbling out of my ear.” Henry threw his piece of crust at him, grinning.

“Hey!” Will protested, stashing the remnant in the box before he rose to his feet.

“You’re the one who needs some food for thought.”

“Oh, god, now _you’re_ killing me.” Will rolled his eyes.

“Adios,” Henry said.

“Sayonara,” Will grinned back before he keyed himself out of the cell, fingers tapping the pizza box rhythmically. He had an idea.

***

  
Will was perched on the rock outcropping and had to shield his eyes from the light to see Henry and The Big Guy enter the enclosure. It was one of the spaces they had on hand for abnormals who lived in a desert-like climate and was one of the more suitable, spacious and most importantly—empty—places they had for what Will had in mind.

“Awesome, you came,” Will said brightly and stood up, keeping his balance.

“Under threat of a mega wedgie,” Henry said, casting the Big Guy a version of the stink eye that Will could never give the Sasquatch unless he wanted his head slapped right off his shoulders. “What do you want?”

The Big Guy ushered Henry further into the enclosure, making sure to seal the door behind them.

“I thought maybe you’d like a change of view for a little bit without having to worry about going upstairs,” Will said and hopped down. He kicked at the dust with the toe of his shoe and looked around.

“I’m fine where I was,” Henry said, adamant enough. Will glanced at the Big Guy who gave him a brief nod.

“I was thinking about something you said,” Will said.

Henry stared at him, waiting for him to continue and glanced over his shoulder at The Big Guy before returning his annoyed glare to Will.

“Your biggest worry is that you can’t control when you change or control yourself when you change. That you’re going to hurt people because you’re not yourself.”

“Yeah, so?” Henry said.

“Have you ever thought that it’s even remotely possible that you can control yourself when you change?”

Henry’s face fell and part of his jaw lowered, like he was about to speak but he pursed his lips instead and shoved his hands in his pockets. “You don’t know what it’s like,” he said, which didn’t answer the question.

Will shrugged. “So tell me. What is it like?”

Henry faltered and crossed his arms, adamant. He looked around the habitat. “It’s intense.”

“I gathered that,” Will said.

“It feels like being shoved underwater against your will and you can’t reach the surface no matter how hard you fight,” Henry said.

“You’d never want to hurt any of us if you could help it. I think you can help it,” Will said. He pulled the weapon from the place where he had it tucked in the back of his pants and fired at Henry, just above his head.

Henry ducked, falling to a knee, eyes gone wide in shock “Dude! Are you _crazy_?”

Will twisted his wrist 45 degrees, showing Henry the blue LED light coming from the butt of the weapon, indicating that it was the tranquilizer rounds. He would never hurt Henry, but considering what he was hoping to achieve with this practice run, he’d prefer to have the tranquilizer rounds handy in case it didn’t go as well as he’d hoped.

“I’m sorry. But every time you’ve changed it was under duress. This is just… to help you along,” Will said.

“You don’t want to do this.” Henry looked to the Big Guy who huff-snorted at him.

“You _can_ do this,” the Big Guy said.

“What if I don’t want to?” Henry shot back. The anger was palpable.

“Nobody should live their lives afraid of who they are,” Will said.

Henry frowned and he rose to his feet, looking to the Big Guy and Will again. He looked down at himself and took a deep breath and began pulling the shirt from his back and handed it to the Big Guy. “It’s one of my favorites,” he murmured. He stopped for a moment, toed off his shoes, then removed his pants and gave them to the Big Guy and stood there, staring at Will in nothing but his boxers.

Henry took a deep breath and walked a few paces towards the jumble of rocks.

“Do you want another warning shot?” Will asked.

Henry closed his eyes and his shoulders tensed. “Yeah, maybe. Just— don’t hit me,” he muttered.

Will fired another shot at the rock a foot away from Henry. He didn’t jump but he did recoil from fragments that flew every which way. Will’s own pulse raced while the Big Guy looked nonplussed.

Will had very little idea how to coach Henry through the actual process. Henry didn’t seem as upset for the second shot, probably since he knew it was coming and that made a difference. Henry knew that Will wouldn’t actually hurt him, but there had to be something going on because Henry was controlling his breathing in a very deliberate manner. His elbows were drawn close, fists closed. The Big Guy slowly moved toward Will, sharing another conscious glance as they watched Henry take a step onto the outcrop of rock.

Henry kneeled on the rock, except he let his hands fall to brace himself as his skin darkened in pigmentation and his spine lengthened considerably until the rest of his body began to size up. His feet grew into the hindquarters, nails digging into the rock and he threw a look over his shoulder, ears shifting ever so slightly on his head, teeth lengthening. Will put his hand on the trigger of the gun, but kept it still at his side. The Big Guy gave a considerate snort at the sight.

Henry’s face was half-formed and stunted—his snout wasn’t elongated in the way that werewolves were usually seen. Will wondered if that was part of the evolution of the abnormal or if it was part of Henry’s own change, that he was still relatively new or young to the process of changing. Henry’s growl made Will rethink this whole plan, especially when Henry leaped easily to the next outcropping of rocks and rose on his two legs, menacing like any dangerous abnormal.

“Henry,” Will said, clearly and loudly. Henry took another leap to the next large rock and rose back up onto his hind legs. His fur bristled and his ears were tilted back. Classic canine body language. “Henry, it’s okay,” Will said, although Henry advanced to the next rock, closer now and Will took a few cautious steps away while the Big Guy advanced, causing the hair on the back of Will’s neck to rise.

Henry charged the Big Guy and they both fell to the ground, a flurry of roars and grunts. Henry swiped at the Big Guy and Will raised his gun.

“No, not yet!” the Big Guy cried even though Will wanted to err on the side of caution. The Big Guy smacked Henry back, enough to make Henry’s growl guttural and more angry. The Big Guy kicked him in the chest, shoving him backwards and they tumbled down the adjoining set of rocks. The Big Guy rolled to his feet and sidled his way back to Henry. Will moved so that he could have better sights on the two of them, his heart racing.

They grappled until Henry flung the Big Guy aside and easily bounded up the rocks until he could survey the enclosure for himself. When Henry peered down at Will, Will’s heart skipped several beats.

“Henry!” Will called, aiming the gun at him but he slowly raised his hands in a sign of submission. “I know you’re angry right now. And you’re frustrated because this is all still so new to you, but this is part of who you are and you have to know what it feels like.”

Henry leaped down to the next rock, landing with a hard enough _thunk_ that it sent a few rock fragments flying. “I knew I was taking a chance when I suggested this because hey, you could rip me apart in three seconds but you know what? I don’t think you will because there’s nothing you want more than not to hurt me or anyone else, right? You didn’t want to hurt Magnus but all your instincts were overwhelming and it made you hazy with power and aggression.”

Henry’s upper lip curled, baring his teeth. Will was definitely scared and he possibly had second and third thoughts about attempting this, but he needed to help Henry.

“And besides, I don’t taste as good as the Big Guy’s homemade lasagna,” he said, cracking a nervous smile.

Henry leaped for him and he fired the gun but missed. Henry’s fist hit him hard enough in the jaw that he saw stars for a moment, but he rolled onto his hands and knees right away and got to his feet. He was too dizzy to find the gun and Henry was close enough now to fill his vision. Will took a few steps backward and saw the Big Guy coming at Henry from behind but Will held up his hand, locking eyes with the Big Guy who stopped at his signal.

Will led Henry far away enough from the gun that the Big Guy could pick it up and keep it pointed at Henry. Will swallowed and took a deep breath, hands still raised, trying to keep his body language as submissive as possible.

“Look, you haven’t killed me yet, so that means something’s happening in there, right?” Will said, staring at Henry but it didn’t feel like he was staring at the Henry he knew. It felt much more abnormal than he thought it would.

“Do you think you can change back?” Will asked.

Henry clenched his fists again and turned around to face the Big Guy. He launched himself up and over the Big Guy and pushed him forward, sending him sprawling onto his face. Will raced to his side but Henry was there, pinning the Big Guy with one hand and grabbing Will by the neck with the other.

Will closed his eyes, struggling against the tightening grip. Hypoxia would set in in a matter of moments. He had overestimated Henry’s ability to control himself. Or maybe he could have approached the process slower. The Big Guy was scrabbling beneath him but Will simply couldn’t pull away or kick Henry hard enough in the chest.

Suddenly Henry let go and Will fell to his hands and knees, holding his throat, gasping. When he looked up he saw Henry kneeling on the other side of the Big Guy, small in his crouch. The ears and yellow eyes were the last vestiges of his abnormal side to disappear.

Henry stared at him. “I stopped,” he said, surprised and grateful all rolled into one.

The Big Guy sat up, clocked Henry on the side of the head and then snorted happily. Will was still trying to swallow—it was going to hurt for a while. “Yeah, thanks,” he said, sounding a bit more shaky than he intended, but it was a near-death experience, shakiness was expected. Not that something like that didn’t happen every other day, but still.

Will managed to get to his feet and he grabbed the heap of clothes and tossed them to Henry. He sat back down on the rock, catching his breath. Henry turned his back on Will, shoulders slumping and the Big Guy stepped in between them; Will was too dizzy to wonder if it was a sudden bout of bashfulness.

“Sorry about that,” Henry said to the Big Guy and the Big Guy snorted at him, clasping him in a hug rather than another thwack to the head, lifting him off the ground and Henry laughed into his shoulder. “Okay, okay,” he said, aware of Will’s eyes on them. He mouthed the word ‘sorry’ at him and Will nodded. Henry made his way down the rock with considerably less ease than minutes before and sat down next to him. Will didn’t trust himself to speak without a croak in his voice.

“That was…” Henry said.

“Scary?”

“Yeah. But… good,” he said and looked at Will.

“Good,” Will said, grateful. He swallowed painfully.

“I’m going to grab my stuff and head to my lab,” Henry said.

“I’m glad to hear it.” Will coughed and Henry’s face fell for a moment. Will tried to wave it off. “I’m fine, really. No need to apologize. I’m sorry for shooting near your head.”

“Yeah… So we’re good?” Henry asked.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Will said.

“Thanks…” Henry smiled and got to his feet. Will followed him and the Big Guy out of the enclosure, hanging a left to go back to his cell. Will turned to the Big Guy. “Thanks for helping,” he said.

The Big Guy peered at him, silent, and nodded. “It was a good idea,” he said and Will smiled, clasping him on the shoulder good-naturedly.

***

  
Will had been tipped off that Henry’d been sighted in one of the storage rooms, so he wandered down there. Henry was already rummaging around the shelves and had a box already filled with stuff at his feet by the time Will arrived. Will leaned against the doorframe.

“It’s good to see you up and about,” he said.

“Yeah, it’s nice to be in the swing of things again,” Henry said. “You wanna give me a hand with this?” he asked, nudging the crate with his foot.

“Sure,” Will said, peering at the contents, which he couldn’t make heads or tails of but it was a good sign that Henry was going to keep himself busy with his projects.

“Cool,” Henry said and loaded his second crate up with items that he grabbed from some of the shelves. He hauled the stash into his arms and they headed back upstairs. Will looked over his shoulder, the vague _thump-thump-thump_ an ominous sign. He cleared his throat when he caught the first glimpse of the abnormals stampeding down the hallway, one of them breaking formation and scrabbling up the wall, running the length of the ceiling like it was the floor. He and Henry calmly merged right in the hallway, making space, and sure enough, Kate appeared in hot pursuit. Henry made an audible “huh” at the sight, amusement inflating the syllable beyond measure.

“Hey, c’mon!” she yelled. She shifted her anger toward them. “Do you guys _mind_?” She ran backwards a few paces, staring at them expectantly and then threw up her arms with an angry groan. Apparently Kate was having some problems keeping up with those under her watch.

“I’m going to kill you guys,” she muttered while turning and sprinting. She could have been speaking about them or the abnormals — probably both. The small herd of seven must have hit the end of the wall because the sound of a vase breaking made Will hesitate.

“Do you think we should—” Will started.

“Nah. She’s gotta learn how to wrangle abnormals on her own sometime,” Henry said with a grin. Will grinned back and thankfully they hung a left, away from the commotion.

“So what’s the word with Magnus?” Will asked.

“I’m back on the mission list but I’ve got a ton of stuff to catch up on before I head back into the field. The environmental sensors seemed a bit off down in the SHU, gonna run a few diagnostics. Maybe check up on Nina.”

Will smiled. It was good to have Henry back. They veered towards his lab and Henry glanced at him.

“I want to thank you. For helping me figure things out,” Henry said. Will nodded. It wasn’t easy for Henry to say that and Will appreciated the sentiment as much as he appreciated Henry feeling comfortable with himself.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” Will said, shifting the box’s weight into the crook of his right arm.

“I’m sorry for the way I treated you before. You know I didn’t really mean to be like that,” Henry said.

Will shrugged. “Understandable. You were angry. I didn’t take it personally, and who could blame you? Life throws unexpected hurdles in your way, man. Only thing you can do is take them as they come.”

“You know what the strangest thing about this whole thing is?” Henry asked.

“What’s that?” Will asked.

“I never thought I’d be… even remotely okay with all of this,” he said. “It’s weird. I mean, we deal with weird on a daily basis.”

“True, but it’s different when it’s you or a friend going through something like this.”

“You asked me why I stopped taking the diazepam,” Henry continued.

“Yeah.”

They hung a left into the lab and Henry turned to face him. “When Ashley and I had gone to break into the Cabal’s facility and they caught us, they weren’t exactly giving me tea and crumpets.”

Will stared and Henry looked uncomfortable enough that Will didn’t encourage him to clarify what he was now assuming it meant.

“It was torture porn tailored just for furries. Needles, dehydration, sleep deprivation, adrenaline,” he said darkly. “They were going to study and then kill me because of who I am.” Henry shook his head. “I couldn’t stop them… not really, but it—” he hesitated and stared at the floor. “It made something click in the back of my mind, that I couldn’t pretend that part of me didn’t exist anymore.”

The enormity of Henry’s admission left Will overwhelmed and awash with sympathy and concern. He wondered if Magnus knew, but it was Magnus, and he was sure Henry would have readily told her what had happened because of the long-standing trust they had. Still, she’d left out any mention of it in the medical records. On the other hand, she did push Will, based on his prior experiences with the Cabal and medical experimentation, to offer Henry his support.

Henry cleared his throat. “You can put that over here,” he said. Will followed him to the relatively empty workstation and put it down.

Henry started unloading the crate and Will got out of his way.

The tell-tale sound of abnormal feet and Kate’s curses filled the hallway outside and then faded away. He and Henry stood in silence for all of two seconds before they broke out in stifled laughter.

“I think I’m going to go help her before she decides to shoot them in the knees,” Will said.

“Hang on, I’ve got an idea,” Henry said, and pivoted on a heel, went over to his computer desk and disappeared for a moment. When he reappeared, he had four metal rings the size of a dinner plate in each hand and he offered a set to Will. He took them and Henry grabbed a handheld device from a drawer and headed for the door.

“What’re these for, the Olympics?” Will asked, shifting two rings to his left hand and following in Henry’s wake.

“You ever play horseshoe as a kid? Idea’s kind of the same, only we get ‘em around the critters. C’mon,” Henry said with a wide grin and took off down the hallway after Kate and her little crew and Will ran after them.


End file.
